Game 4 of the NBA Finals was already tense — Pacers up 2-1, Thunder fighting to stay alive. But midway through the second quarter, the heat finally boiled over. A hard foul on a fast break sparked a fiery confrontation that stopped the game cold. The refs responded with double penalties, and just like that, the Finals weren’t just physical — they were personal.
Here’s how it all went down: with the Thunder up 51-48 and about five minutes left in the second quarter, the Thunder’s defensive ace, Alex Caruso, did what he does best. He poked the ball loose from Tyrese Haliburton and was off to the races, looking for an easy transition layup. But the Pacers’ Obi Toppin, hustling back, wasn’t about to give up a free bucket. Toppin delivered a hard foul to stop the play, sending Caruso to the floor.
And that’s when things got heated. Immediately, OKC’s big man, Isaiah Hartenstein, took exception to the hard foul on his teammate. He got right in Toppin’s face, and the two had to be separated. It was the first real “hold-me-back” moment of these Finals, the kind of confrontation that shows you just how high the tension is running. As reporter Clemente Almanza tweeted in the moment, “Caruso steals the ball from Haliburton and then Toppin commits a hard foul in transition to stop a layup. Hartenstein didn’t like it and confronted him over it.”
Caruso steals the ball from Haliburton and then Toppin commits a hard foul in transition to stop a layup. Hartenstein didn’t like it and confronted him over it. Will be reviewed for a flagrant as Indiana crowd chants “Obi!” pic.twitter.com/aN7vsHRhtA
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) June 14, 2025
The officials immediately went to the monitor to review the play for a possible flagrant foul. And for Caruso, this was feeling like déjà vu. This was the second straight game where he’d been decked on a fast break.
(This is a developing story…)
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